Ramage leads Wisconsin to WCHA championship

Calgary Flames prospect John Ramage's last season with the Wisconsin Badgers will be his most memorable year with the club.

The Badgers claimed the WCHA Final Five championship on Saturday night in St. Paul, MN, edging Colorado College 3-2 in front of 18, 782 fans at the Xcel Energy Center and the senior defenceman played a key role for his club in the victory.

Ramage earned the primary assisted on Nic Kerdiles' game-winner at 16:15 in the second period after he blasted a shot on net and Kerdiles scooped up the rebound, flipping it past Colorado netminder Joe Howe.

Wisconsin now awaits its seeding and placement in the NCAA tournament, which takes place on Sunday evening.

The championship comes after Ramage, the team captain, put together a career year and helped guide his club through some rough patches through out the season. The Badgers had a horrific start to the year, going 1-7-2 in their opening ten games, and went through coaching changes and a plethora of injuries. Ramage's guidance and leadership helped pave the way for his team to finish off the year with a 22-12-7 record.

Offensively, Ramage absolutely blew past his previous career-highs. The St. Louis, MO product scored eight goals and 19 points in 41 games and was a plus-18 on the year. The Badgers record when Ramage found the back of the net? 8-0-0. When he registered a point? They went 12-1-1.

The Flames drafted the blueliner in fourth round (104th overall) in the 2010 NHL Draft.